


How Did It Turn Out Like This

by imaginenarusasu



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst!, Break Up, Cheating, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, shitty boyfriends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-02-06 10:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1855309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginenarusasu/pseuds/imaginenarusasu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hurt. Pain. Angst. Tears. Heartache. Sorrow. Smiles. A little joy. ... All this comes along with life's package... Some people learn that the hard way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Distance

He had become distant since a while.

Kise sighed, as he lay awake, alone, in the middle of the night.

Sure, Aomine had come extremely late a few times in the years they'd been together… But that's just IT! He has ALWAYS come back! Never did he spend a night away from home… Yet, Kise knew he wouldn't come home today again.

He worried… Aomine hadn't come home at all _twice_ that week! Add today and that'll be the third time…

Not only that, but the navy-haired guy barely talked now_ that is to him: he'd always answer calls from everywhere and talk like usual…just not with the model, his spouse.

Kise worried his lip, trying to think back and remember if they'd fought about anything recently, but his mind came up blank.

Turning to his side, he curled up into a ball, a pearl dripping from the depths of his honey-brown pools onto his pillow.


	2. Knowledge

It was early morning, and instead of cheery conversation, laughter, or even minor couple-bickering, a particular breakfast table was eerily quiet… But that had become a norm since a few weeks (which felt like years).

A blond figure merely picked at his food disheartedly, head bowed down to avoid eye-contact with the other occupant of the room.

On the other hand, the tanned man ate his breakfast slowly, eyes silently scanning the whole room… except for his current companion.

Neither attempted conversation, for they knew it would be in vain: they'd just end up arguing for no reason… It had happened quite a lot since some time now for them to predict what any conversation between them would lead to.

Aomine finished his breakfast, mumbled a short 'Thanks for the meal', and carried his plate to the sink before heading over to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

Kise let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. How had it come to this? He sat there for a few more minutes till he heard the bathroom door shut behind Aomine. Sighing, he covered his plate with foil and put it in the fridge before making his way to their room to make sure Aomine's uniform was ready.

Good… Everything was- Oh wait! Scurrying over to Aomines' drawers, he frantically started searching for a proper neck-tie for today. Honestly! How could Aomine forget the tie?! Sighing with relief as he found one, Kise took it out, smoothed it over and placed it on the pressed uniform of his partner that lay on the bed. Aomine would be out in a while: he should probably go see if his boots were polished.

Just as he stepped out of the room though, Aomines' phone rang, signaling an incoming call. Thinking it must be important, Kise rushed in and picked it up without bothering to check the caller-Id.

"Hello?"

No answer… Gulping, he tried again,

"Um, hello? This is Ryouta Aomine. Daiki's taking a bath. You can leave a message with –", the call is cut from the other end, "me…"

Taken aback and a bit confused, he goes to the call register to see who the caller had been… and was shocked to see the name 'Tetsu' glaring up at him from the screen. He wasn't shocked that it was Kurokocchi calling so early in the morning. Neither was he shocked that his husband had even recorded his name as "Tetsu" in his phone… He was shocked at Kuroko's behavior: the boy was nothing but polite, had ALWAYS been!... Then how could he do such a rude thing as this to someone?!

No… He had probably cut the call by accident… But then he could have, would have, called back, ne?

Deciding to take matters in his own hands for once, before his already-messed-up brain got the better of him, Kise called-back… But Kuroko didn't pick up.

Now getting a bit worried, Kise dialed again. With the same result.

Sweating a bit, he dialed again, only- … Only, this time the call wouldn't go_ meaning Kuroko had turned-off his phone…But why?!

As a worried Kise was bringing the phone down from his ear, a bird at their bedroom window suddenly fluttered its wings, startling him!... Which lead to him accidentally pressing buttons and opening Aomines' inbox.

What he saw surprised him again: Aomine's inbox was filled with messages.

From 'Tetsu'.

'Eh? Kurokocchi never seemed the type to be into texting…'

Now curious to know what the teal-haired man could have possibly thought important enough to text about, he eagerly opened the latest message and scanned through it quickly…

Wait. What?! Re-reading it more carefully, his eyes bulged, and his face contorted into a horrified, pained, expression…

Quickly exiting the message to the inbox, he scanned through a few more of the texts, each one making his urge to puke stronger.

'Oh Aomine-kun. Thank you for the night.'

'I think it's about time you told Kise-kun'

'No. I won't call you "Daiki" until you are mine.'

'It doesn't matter. Come see me tonight.'

These horrible texts swam in his head… He didn't need to read Aomine's replies to know what the tanned man had said.

He sat there, head spinning, phone cradled loosely in his hand, heart very much broken… Until he heard the opening of the bathroom door.

Desperately, he got out of the last message he read, to the inbox, and then to the home-screen within seconds, tossed the phone as far as possible onto the bed and stood to dash out of the room. Just as he grabbed the handle though, the door was pushed open (towards him) and because of his momentum, sent Kise crashing backwards onto the floor, and at the feet of a baffled-looking towel-clad Aomine.

He didn't move to help the model up, just looked at him as if he'd fallen off a spaceship.

Rubbing his now-sore ass, he stood up and said innocently,

"Daikicchi? Kurokocchi called. I answered to let him know you were bathing and he just hung-up. Y'know, I even tried calling-back, but he wouldn't pick up"… all the while observing Aomine.

Aomine's face went through a series of emotions: shock, horror, relief…and then anger.

"Why did you answer my phone?" he growled in a low tone.

"Well", sidestepping the bluenette into the hall, "I thought it might be important. You'd better get dressed quickly" and left to check on Aomines' shoes, trying to not think about how his chest ached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading~!  
> Please don't kill me! I actually absolutely adore Kuroko…   
> Don't ask me why this all is happening!!


	3. Shatter

He didn't realize how his hands were shaking as he grabbed a glass to pour himself some water so he could calm his erratically beating heart. And it fell from his hands, instantly shattering into a million pieces_ just like his heart.

* * *

_It had taken half an hour for Kise to calm down, heaving in shuddering breaths, after Aomine had left. He had tried to busy himself then with cleaning, doing the laundry, washing dishes etc. He had even taken a quick, scalding shower. The pain in his chest didn't become less though. But. He DID gain enough control over his outward emotions to not break down._

_He felt hollow. Betrayed. Devastated. Fooled._

* * *

 Kneeling down beside the shards, Kise couldn't help the sinking feeling that took over him again. What could he do? The glass was lucky,ne? For it had broken only once. Whereas Kises' heart had repeatedly been shattering inside his chest since he'd read those texts. What was worse for him was that no one could hear his heart shattering. No one could feel his soul suffocating. And no one would care to clean the mess. A tear escaped. Another fell. He trudged to the kitchen, dragging his feet and brought a pan and brush to pick up the fallen glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I've written it, this chapter seems pretty pointless! But I'm still putting it up because I believe it came to me for a reason. I guess there might be something in it that someone somewhere needs and will benefit from it?thank you for reading! hope you like~!


	4. Meeting

Kise had spent the rest of that week in a haze. Aomine came home a couple nights (after midnight, mind you!), but nothing more. Kise was aware that they'd said the empty 'I'm leaving' 'Take care', 'I'm home' 'Welcome back's because he remembered glimpses of Aomines' moving mouth. He was sure he'd carried the acts out on auto-pilot.

Right now he was trudging- dragging his feet, head drooping- on his way back from the days' shoot. The shoot had taken kinda longer today than usual because of accidents that kept happening (No. It wasn't all Kise…everybody seemed kinda tired today), and it was now nearly sunset.

Something was different today. His head wasn't as in the clouds as the past week. And it terrified him! How would he survive if he was conscious of everything? How would he survive if he'd know every minute the truth about what Aomine and Kur- No! Wait! He would NOT think about it. Almost detachedly, he considered how Aomine would at least feel guilty if he were ran-over by a car right now… But then he seconded that thought: Nah! Aomine wouldn't feel any guilt now if it was HE himself who ran-over Kise!

Scoffing at his useless thoughts, he lifted his head a bit to at least see where he was going to (and to avoid walking into things), when he saw a shirt-clad, muscled chest a split-second before smashing into it… And almost falling backwards, only to be steadied by a quick, tanned hand wrapping around his upper arm.

"Eh? G-Gomenasai! I wasn't looking where I was going-"  
"Sorry, wasn't looking where I was going-"

Confusion- and another emotion swirling within- honey-brown orbs shot up, only to clash with familiar blood-red ones which had now lost most of their fierceness. Recovering first, Kise stuttered,  
"K-Kagamicchi?! Sorry I bumped into you! I really wasn't looking-" 

"It's ok …Kise? Well, blame doesn't fall completely to you; I wasn't looking either."

With that, an awkward silence fell over them, as both stood on the foot-path*, internally battling with themselves over just saying goodbye or asking their sort-of-friend for dinner or something.

This time, Kagami seemed to come to terms with himself first and voiced,  
"So um… long time no see, ei? … Actually I saw you on postures and some adds but… What I'm trynna say is…um… wanna join me for dinner?"

Kise blinked.

Had he heard right? Kagami Taiga actually seemed to want to spend time with him…!

A bit taken aback by Kises' silence, mistaking it for rejection (or mockery), he defiantly put in,  
"Only if you absolutely feel like that is! It's not like I'll die if you say 'No': I have a life too y'know!"

"E-Eh?! No! That's not it ~ssu! I was just surprised that you seemed to want to hang-out with me!", Kise quickly cleared out. There was no way he'd let this perfect opportunity to distract himself go… At least not so easily. "I mean, you never seemed to like me much."

"That was because you were always hanging off of Kur-"…unable to complete the sentence, he trailed off, leaving it hanging in the air.

Before the awkward silence could settle in again, Kise grabbed Kagami by the arm and started pulling him in the direction of a close-by fast-food joint. Kagami, albeit somewhat surprised, didn't object and let himself be lead away silently.

Which of course didn't go unnoticed by the very-perceptive Kise, _Hmmm… He's not even putting up a fight…_

While Kagami was lost in his thoughts, _Hmm… Maybe it's time I DID confront him… Running into him like this…It can't just be coincidental… I can't believe I'm thinking of destiny and fate… but this DOES feel like it.._.

* * *

They were seated across each other, kind of in an awkward silence, trying to figure out what to say- or in Kagami's case, HOW to say- while waiting for their order to arrive.

When it got too awkward and they finally broke under the awkwardness,  
"Eheheh! Sooo…-"  
"So, Kise-",  
their food arrived.

Kise heaved an internal sigh of relief, whereas Kagami tore at his hair and screamed internally. He had been **_this_  **close to talking to Kise about it, damn it!

Looking at him now though, he could tell that the blond was kind of lost in his own thoughts.

He remembered reading somewhere that if you look at a person long enough, with the right intensity, they'll feel it and look back at you.  
He decided to try it out, and also to use it to study the blonds' features a bit more closely.

At first glance, you'd see perfection. He was a model after all, what d'you expect?

But if studied more closely. You could see the dark rings under his eyes where his eyes had sunken (which were of course kind-of-concealed by the make-up).

Kagami's first thought was that Kise knew!

... But it couldn't be, right? He himself had just come to know when Kuroko had broken-up with him about a month ago…

Not realizing he had been caught staring, Kagami was jolted back to reality by Kise poking his cheek relentlessly.  
"Oi-!"

"You were staring Kagamicchi"

"W-What-"

"Actually, you were spacing out. Is everything ok? You haven't even touched your burgers."

Gritting his teeth and lowering his gaze- he was pretty sure he was blushing due to embarrassment- he gingerly grabbed a burger from the pile and took a large bite.

Gulping the first burger down within moments, he decided to just do it without thinking about it. So, reaching for another burger, he started,  
"So uh… How are you and Aomine?"

Kise stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating what to do, before smiling that sunshine smile of his and replying,  
"We're doing awesome ~ssu! How are Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi doing? I remember you were finally going out with Kurokocchi since a while before my wedding!"

Not really having anticipated this, Kagamis' eyes widened and he fell silent for a moment. Kise continued his meal with that overly-sweet (VERY FAKE) smile still plastered on his gorgeous face- but it never reached his eyes.

Finally collecting his thoughts, Kagami decided to be completely honest. He wasn't here to beat aroung the bush- which seemed to be exactly what Kise was trying to do. So he simply answered,  
"…Kuroko broke up with me."

 _Silence_. _**Deafening**_ _silence_ followed and time seemed to stop…

Till Kise managed to close his gaping mouth before putting a hand on Kagamis' hand which rested on the table and saying,  
"I'm sorry. … But why?"

Kagami glared at Kise, biting through his third burger. With Kises' now-indifferent expression and hardened eyes (although his tone had been rather soft), he was sure the blond knew- but was still lying to himself.

"Kise, do you know where Aomine is all those nights he doesn't come home?"

Taken by surprise at Kagami's utter bluntness, he got tongue-tied, unable to quickly respond with a lie and deceiving smile.

That was all it took for Kagami to note that even Kise wasn't stupid enough to continue lying, so he gave a short triumphant smirk.

Only to see the models' eyes tearing up as he tried to desperately blink them away whilst lowering his head so his bangs covered his eyes.

Kise suddenly felt like there was a huge lump in his throat and felt like spitting out the food that was already in his mouth. However, with trembling hands he was able to get a gulp of water inside, which took the food along with its path. He wanted to speak, to tell Kagami everything! ... but he didn't think it was possible while being suffocated to the point he couldn't even breathe.

Kagami, knowing it must be harder on the blond, returned his earlier gesture by grabbing his hand in a reassuring manner- only to have Kises tears finally spill. The blond started sobbing after a few minutes of trying to unsuccessfully stop his tears, so Kagami paid for their meals and brought a very disoriented, crying Kise out and into the side alley.

Kise was practically bawling in Kagamis' awkward embrace, repeating many incoherent things over and over, out of which Kagami was only able to make out broken phrases like "Not fair", "broke my heart", "never imagined", "fooled me", "hurts".

Kagami wouldn't be holding Kise like this ( **EVER** ) if the blonds' condition wasn't so heart-wrenchingly unbearable to watch.

He didn't know how long he held Kise like that- except that it was already night now.

Kise was sniffling softly now, but still clung to Kagami as if he was some sort of safety-line. Heaving in a shuddering breath Kise spoke up, in a raw voice,  
"Kagamicchi? I don't know how long it's been going on… but Daikicch- Daiki hasn't been himself with me since… it feels like forever. He usually doesn't come home now… I just found out a week ago about his relationship with Kurokocc- Kuroko…" 

He paused to keep the tears building-up again at bay before continuing,  
"I-I don't know what to do… I tried pretending as if I never discovered it and tried to be normal. But the knowledge is _there_. And the hurt of the memories- of what we had- is ten times worse now that I know what I know…"

"Jeez Kise. How much water have you stored in yourself?" Kagami gave a half-hearted chuckle in an attempt to get the blond to at least smile- he felt guilty for causing him to break-down like this.

Kise didn't laugh along though. Didn't even smile. _Couldn't_ smile.

He just pushed off of Kagamis' chest and looked at him in the eyes, hoping the other would see his sincere gratefulness for listening and being **there**.

Kagami just nodded in comprehension and turned to go,  
"I know it hurts worse for you Kise, since you guys were married… But just try to hang on-! And… I think it's time you confronted Aomine about this."

Gasping, Kise looked up,  
"E-Eh?! Confront him about this?!"

Kagami turned abruptly, glaring at Kise menacingly,  
"It's pointless to keep quiet and pretend you don't know anything Kise", he growled. "At the very least make him feel guilty- heck, even ashamed- about how unfair he's being! You have the right."

With that, he turned sharply and walked away into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOA! Just look at how long this chapter turned out to be (by my lstandards anyway xD )!   
> At least I felt like it was quite long while typing it X3 -siiiiigh- Well, Kagami finally made an appearance  
> Really though, I feel this chapter was an utter fail too!  
>  I'll just go to the losers corner and be depressed alone.


	5. What is this?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, my naming SUCKS

Kise honestly felt like puking. His worst fear had been more than proved by Kagami… Of course he still didn't want to believe it… but he didn't wanna be fooled and hurt in silence anymore either…

He knew very well that he was scared. Scared of what will happen if he confronted Aomine about it. Of course he knew that with the way things were going, Aomine was likely to break-up with him_ he wasn't a fool… But… that would at least take time, right? And if he confronted Aomine, everything would just end immediately.

Damn. He wasn't ever a coward… But when it came to love and commitment, he had given it his all. Used all his being. And it hurt to see that that one person for whom he did so much, didn't think anything of him anymore. That everything he's worked so hard to build would now just crumble and fade, leaving his scar-filled heart as the only proof that it ever existed. That they ever existed. That it only been him toiling to build and maintain this relationship. And it petrified him.

Had Aomine ever felt anything for him? ...Wait, yea…he had… When had they drifted so apart though? Where had Kise gone wrong?

Burying his head in his hands, he heaved in a sigh, trying to not think about things that stung his heart and pierced his soul. He wasn't gonna plan the speech he'd give to Aomine. No. there would be no speeches. It would just be his heart and his mouth.

Because he knew … that if he let his brain handle this situation… he'd break…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> nothing to say today ( x.x )//


	6. Confrontation

_Kiss me hard before you go,_  
_Summertime sadness._  
_I just wanted you to know,_  
_that baby you're the best._

It was way past midnight. Actually, it was nearly morning: 3:30 am. Aomine Daiki opened the front door and locked it behind him as silently as possible, so as not to awake his spouse.

The house was only lit by the pale moonlight seeping through the windows, giving whatever it fell on a ghostly glow.

Gulping, the officer shook his head to rid himself of any unwanted thoughts: he did NOT want to think about it!...But then again, Tetsu was more or less of a ghost himself, ne? And he was taking advantage of his unsuspecting spouse and the supposed love of his life, to be with that ghost… But then lately, he had a feeling that maybe Ryouta wasn't so oblivious after all; he had been quieter and didn't even smile at him anymore. He'd also gone pale and stopped eating- that Daiki started fearing for his health!- …and was always lost in thought; looking lonesome and broken.

_I got my red dress on tonight,_  
_dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight._  
_Got my hair up real big beauty queen style,_  
_high heels off, I'm feeling alive._

He'd always question himself WHY he was going to Kuroko and betraying his spouse… What had seemed a legitimate reason then, seemed a weak and pointless argument now; he shouldn't have been weak enough to be drawn to his middle-school-Shadow's mysteriousness!

He knew full well how unfair it was to his gorgeous partner. And would definitely turn back time if he could…

But he couldn't just leave Kuroko either now. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.

Feeling a headache coming on, he made to head up to their room to change, when suddenly the living-room flooded with light. Shocked, the officer turned on his heel with wide eyes, only to see Ryoutas' shorter, thinner frame beside the light-switch, his head lowered so his bangs covered his eyes.

_Oh, my God, I feel it in the air,_  
_telephone wires above are sizzling like a snare._  
_Honey I'm on fire, I can feel it everywhere,_  
_nothing scares me anymore._

Just as he was about to call out to the blonde, to make sure he hadn't been sleep-walking, the blonde looked up and determined honey-brown orbs clashed with midnight blue.  
"Daikic…cchi? We have to talk."

Dumbfounded by the seriousness and **firmness** with which the model was speaking, all he could do was nod and go into the living room, signaling Ryouta to sit and say what he wants, while taking a seat himself. Ryouta walked over and sat opposite him. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before reminding himself of what needed to be done.

_I'm feelin' electric tonight,_  
_cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99!_  
_Got my bad baby by my heavenly side,_  
_I know if I go, I'll die happy tonight!_

"I-I know what you're doing with Kuroko."

Daiki stared, shocked into silence for a moment- and NO, he didn't miss the lack of the suffix his partner gave to people he respected and loved-, before trying the safest tactic,  
"Hm? What am I doing with Tetsu?"

This, however, seemed to irk Ryouta, for he glared at the dark male with anger, indignation and- hurt…and replied with clenched teeth,  
"…That you're sleeping with him…"

Silence befell the pair as Daiki's heart clenched at the betrayal in **his** blonde's voice, and he looked down in shame. He couldn't bare the silent sobs of Ryouta that came out, and was just about to rush over and pull the other in a tight embrace, when he spoke again, trying to contain his tears,  
"So… What are… you…gonna do?"

This question caught him off-guard. _**Again**_.  
"Hah? What do you mean Ryou?"  
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ryouta answered,  
"W-Well… I- I know that … sooner or later… you'll leave me to be with him... I… don't wanna be in your way anymore… You've become so distant… and you… never seem to wanna be home anymore… I think we should *hic* d-divorce", and shut his eyes in a failed attempt to try and stop the flow of tears. He didn't let any other sound escape though.

Every word of his love had pierced his heart and soul, and guilt and shame took over again. He knew that he still loved his baka-blonde. His sunshine. … But he also knew that keeping him would be selfish. And he realized that it wasn't in the models' best interest to be kept.

Holding his urge to burst into tears himself, he went over to where the blonde was seated- crying silently, wordlessly-, and pulled him into a hug. Immediately Ryoutas' pain filled sobs broke out, causing Daikis' own dam of tears to break.

_Kiss me hard before you go._  
_Summertime sadness._  
_I just wanted you to know,_  
_that baby you're the best._

They cried till sunrise, in each others' arms, one last time. Shared one last kiss.

When they had both packed up- they had wordlessly agreed to leave this house: it had too many beautiful memories for either to bear alone- and Daiki went off to his job (he'd get all the paper-work done), and Ryouta went off his own way, they both knew it was the last time they'd see each other… especially as lovers.

_I think I'll miss you forever,_  
_like the stars miss the Sun in the morning skies._  
_Late is better than never,_  
_even if you're gone I'm gonna drive, drive._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, to be honest, I think I cried while writing this chapter myself XD Ugh! The bastard feels! Why do they exist? And now I'm kind of in a fix about Aomine: I had a hard time writing this part and almost changed the original plan XD   
> It was hard for me to write this D: But! After much thought, I decided to stick to my original plot. At least we know now that Aomine isn't all that heartless... or do we? I dunno... you guys might not feel anything, but this chap really affected me i'm such a loserrr xD Lemme just go and cry now in the loser's corner


	7. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> umm...after the confrontation...emotional shit is bound to go down...am I right? *wink...*ges kicked*

Kagami had a day off today, and he had decided to sleep in and relax the whole day.

He wasn't gonna get what he wanted though.

Trudging groggily to answer the door, he was ready to yell at whoever had dared to disturb the tiger from his slumber… But on yanking the door open, he was shocked to see a puffy-eyed, red-nosed, disheveled Kise outside his apartment with- what was that?!...his… or someone's luggage…

Still a bit disoriented by the sleep, he could only look at the model stupidly.

Until he was brought back to earth when Kise cleared his throat,  
"Ehem!... umm.. Kagamicchi?"

Realizing what a horrible host he was being- having an uninvited guest or not- he immediately grabbed the luggage from his hands and invited him inside.

"Aah. Kise! … Um. Come in", just by looking at the blonde, he kind of had an idea what the model was there for.

"Ah gomen Kagamicchi… I should've called…but I-"

"It's ok Kise! Just come in first, and then explain. Ok?", Kagami could see the fragile state he was in, and felt obligated to help in any way…since the blonde HAD come to him for help.

A bit shocked, Kise just nodded and entered the threshold to the apartment that was Kagami's home.

Kagami immediately kept the luggage aside neatly, showed Kise to the living room, and went off to the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat. **_(-snickers- Kagamicchi's adorable and motherly hosting qualities –gets kicked-)_**

Trying to keep his mind out of the gutter for now, Kise decided to check out the living room… Only to realize how he and Kagami were more similar than he'd thought- and were in very similar situations: both being head-over heels in love, and being betrayed by "that **one** person"… Even though Kagami had seemed really angry at Kuroko that day at the restaurant- and he had every right to be- Kise realized it was just his iron-mask to hide his pain…for it was obvious with all the framed pictures of him and Kuroko, or sometimes just Kuroko occupied almost every empty space in the living room, carefully arranged.

Being reminded of his own bitter-sweet love, Kise felt like bawling again, remembering how their bonds had been severed forever. He wouldn't say he was surprised Aomine hadn't even tried to hold him back… just disappointed… more in himself to think he would than in Aomine for not having stopped him. But on the other hand, he was grateful Aomine hadn't tried to stop him; if he HAD, the blonde would've lost all resolve to do what's right.

Clearing his throat, Kagami effectively broke Kise out of his reverie,  
"Aaaah… The table's set. Come, let's eat."

Putting on what he hoped at least  _looked_ like a cheerful smile, Kise nodded at Kagami and went to wash his hands in the kitchen.

* * *

"Itatakimasu~"

"Itatakimasu~"

They dug-in into the delicious breakfast Kagami had prepared- or Kagami dug-in, to be more precise. Kise was mostly not eating- he'd barely taken four bites into his system before he stopped eating.

He himself didn't know how he'd managed to get even that much down his throat. He felt he'd choke if he ate anymore, so he stopped even pretending to eat.

All of this, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Kagami's blood-red eyes.

Just as he was about to ask the blonde though, Kise snapped, suddenly banging both fists on the table,  
"I can't do this anymore!"

"Kise-"

"No! Listen to me Kagamicchi! Daiki and I- we're… we're done, ok?! I talked to him about it- just like you said- and we're breaking-up! I-I had no idea where to go… NO lemme rephrase that! I could go anywhere… but I … I wanted-NEEDED someone's presence! … I can't deal with losing him alone!... I don't know how you did… So I came here! And I'm sorry I didn't call before coming!...  
But … just help me find a flat… in THIS building. It has to be here! … I can't …I feel like… I dunno… I feel like there's a strong spark of friendship between us… And with what we've been through, we might be able to help each other heal by sticking together… I just… -sob- I'm still not over Daiki… A-And I'm afraid if I'm completely on my own, I might go back… ugh… I-"

"Kise", firm but gentle. "It's ok. I understand." Reaching out across the table, Kagami grabbed the blonde's clenched fist firmly, comforting him, being his anchor.

"I'll book you an apartment in this building… And, to answer your question, I didn't do it alone either: I had my bro, Tatsuya, helping me through… I'll be that Tatsuya for you… Oh, and till I find you an apartment, you're staying with me."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *dives behind a table to hide from the flying knives* I'M SORRY! I TRIeD TO MaKe IT LOOONG *CRIES*


	8. Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't even mention this name =.=  
> will Kagami give Kise the emotional support as well?

Kagami entered his apartment. It had been a long night and the first rays of sunlight breaking through the sky had been a complete relief to his exhausted body and mind. Similar as how it had been to his co-workers who had stayed the shift with him last night.

As expected, his apartment was silent, with only the kitchen-light on and sunlight streaming in here and there. The door to the guest-room- where Kise was currently staying in- was closed, and from the space under the door, Kagami could see that it was pitch-black beyond the door. Meaning the blonde was obviously asleep.

He silently crept his way to his own bedroom, right next to the quest-room, and turned on the light. As tired as he was, he just couldn't give-in to the temptation of crashing on his bed and sleeping till night. So he undressed on his way to his bathroom while tossing his discarded clothes into the laundry basket which was just outside the bathroom.

Stepping under the warm shower, he increased the pressure, letting the water massage the sore muscles of his shoulders and back. After a few relaxing moments he grabbed his shampoo and squeazed some of it onto his palm before lathering it onto his hair. He did the same with his body-wash and soaped his whole body before standing under the shower for another 5 minutes.

Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist and heading out of the bathroom towards his closet.

Just as he got into a pair of boxers and started drying his hair off, he heard a shriek (not very girly XD) from the other room. For a moment he was so shocked he couldn't move! But another scream had him ripping the towel off his head and throwing it aside, before dashing out his room to the room beside.

Banging the door open, he frantically looked for anyone else in the room, but he saw nothing (and nobody) out of place. A bit relieved, he looked towards the bed, and saw the model sitting up in bed and shaking. A bit alarmed, he turned on the light and saw that the blonde was crying! He rushed over to him.

"Kise! What happened?! Are you hurt?!"

Kise just shook his head, crying harder. Kagami was panicking, but managed to keep calm and shook him gently,  
"Oi Kise. Tell me what's wrong."

This time Kise spoke up in broken sentences,  
"…can't breathe…! …miss him..wanna forget…"

Kagami didn't have a chance to reply because Kise immediately lay back down, closed his eyes, and… went to sleep. As if he wasn't crying just a moment ago!

Kagami tried talking, or getting any reaction out of Kise, but it was obvious he was already in Dreamland… Confused, he sat there for a while more, deciding to go and sleep in his room after making sure Kise won't start crying again.

* * *

 

He woke up to the delicious smells of omelet, toast, and another thing he couldn't recognize. He sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and just stayed there for a few minutes… till he realized his surroundings weren't so familiar. Immediately all signs of drowsiness vanished as his eyes widened in shock. He wasn't in his room! This was…! But how?!

Trying to calm himself and not hyperventilate, he started going through the events before he fell asleep: he'd come home, exhausted, taken a shower…checked on Kise when he'd heard him scream… THAT WAS IT! He didn't remember going back to his room! Internally face-palming, he couldn't believe that he'd fallen asleep with Kise!

He nearly got a heart-attack just as he got out the bed though… ' _WTF?! I was only in my boxers?!'_  Great! Now Kise'll probably think he was a pervert!

He sneaked out of the room, and just as he was about to creep into his own room, Kise's cheery voice called out (FROM RIGHT BEHIND HIM!),  
"Ah! You're up Kagamicchi! I was just about to come wake you up!"

Rooted to the spot (with fear and shock –gets kicked by Kagamicchi-), he slowly turned around, dreading a punch or kick from Kise.  
"Ah- heh! G'mornin Kise! Uu.. I-"  
"Kagamicchi should wash up and  **get dressed**! Breakfast's ready!... or lunch..since it's 1pm already…", Kise was already disappearing back into the kitchen.

Kagami stood still for a moment after Kise was gone before rushing into his bathroom to brush his teeth, AFTER he put on a shirt!

As he entered the kitchen, Kise had laid out two omelets with a couple toast each, opposite one another, while he poured warm milk in two mugs and brought them to the table. He noticed Kagami in the entrance as he turned towards the table,  
"Eh? Why standing there? Come pick a seat Kagamicchi!"

He dumbly made his way towards the kitchen-table and sat at the seat closest to him. Picking up a toast, he put his omelet on it, before placing his other toast on top, sandwiching the omelet between the toasts, and took a huge bite. Kise sat opposite him, doing the same. He reached out for his mug, but immediately pulled his hand back. He'd expected  **white** milk to be in it!... But there was this reddish-brownish liquid instead! He looked baffled, and Kise just chuckled, understanding his confusion,  
"Kagamicchiii~! It's tea!"  
"What kind of tea is this?!"  
"Eh? I expected you to know ~ssu! It's made by putting some warm water in the cup, with a tea-bag or two, and sugar, and then adding warm milk ~ssu! My granny taught me!"  
"O-Oh… how did your grandmother know?"  
"Hm? She lives in America, and she has a Pakistani neighbor there. They used to work together and became very close, so she taught grandma!"

Nodding silently, Kagami finally took a sip of the drink. It was… surprisingly tasty!

Kagami knew that just one sandwich won't fill him. But he didn't know how to voice his thoughts out without offending poor Kise, who'd so eagerly made breakfast.

He shouldn't have worried though.

Just as he finished the sandwich in his second bite, Kise got up and brought his huge-ass hot-pot over, placed it in front of Kagami, and removed the lid. Kagami only stared in awe at its contents: Kise had made about a dozen sandwiches for him!

Kagami must've been making a funny face, because Kise giggled and explained,  
"Kagamicchi! I remember your monstrous appetite!"

His face coloring up a pretty red, he harrumphed and dug-in.

Only to immediately choke on the words that left Kise's mouth next,  
"Kagamicchi? Why were you sleeping with me?.."

Taking a gulp of his tea, Kagami spluttered a little before replying,  
"I-I can explain Kise! I came home and was dressing up after a shower when I heard your screams and rushed over, and you were crying, but when I asked you, you lay back and fell asleep! I was spooked! So I stayed a bit longer to make sure it won't happen again!...Only..I fell asleep there too…"

Kise's eyes were slightly wide, and his head tilted to the side cutely,  
"E-Eh? I don't remember crying, or screaming.."  
"Sor-"  
"Ah! But arigato for being there Kagamicchi!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chappy!  
> Psst! I had a hard time writing Kagami's shower scene XD I never thought that even guys shampoo their hair!??? how silly!  
> Oh! and Kise's "nightmare" scene: I wrote it from my own experience. It's called night terror, and the person experiencing it doesn't remember anything I on waking up.  
> Have you ever had a night terror? Have you ever been with someone when they had one?


	9. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...Does Ahomine get the feels too? Or is he a perpetual aho?

Aomine wandered around the city aimlessly. He didn't have duty today, and he hated it coz whenever he didn't have work occupying his mind now, his thoughts would automatically wander to the one blonde who had conquered his heart and soul, but had ended up getting hurt by him. Oh how he regretted ever hurting him like that.

He'd known all along he'd suffer after letting his sunshine go.

A couple sessions with Tetsu after the separation didn't help at all… only reminded him of what he'd done. Which lead him to be kind-of avoiding Tetsu now…

He'd tried shooting hoops on one such occasion while he was trying to do anything but dwell on his and Kises' past. It didn't end well for him: basketball reminded him of the countless one-on-ones the blonde had forced him into. The way he never won even one of them but kept insisting for more, promising to beat him the next time!

And in that moment, he'd felt his heart stop, and his lungs wouldn't expand to allow him to breathe. All the memories had flooded him and, unable to stand, he'd fallen onto his knees, head buried in the palms of his hand, barely stopping the agonized cry that was bubbling in his chest.

He was snapped out of the recent-past when he walked-into, literally walked-into, something small and nearly tripped. His arms had instinctively shot out and steadied the thin- …wait!  **Something** was a  _kid_! He stared at the kid stupidly for a minute or so, while the kid- probably 6 or 7- stared up at him with big, round golden-brown eyes… which reminded him of a certain blonde all the more.

"Umm, sowwy mistah! Are you ok?", the kid seemed adorable mature. …  _HOW did he get Kise's eyes?!_

"Aa..I'm fine. You ok?", he _had_ to be sure this wasn't Kises' kid… Thankfully, other than the alluring irises, he didn't seem to have any other feature of the blonde..except for his care for others even when his self was hurt.

The kid beamed at him and nodded . just as he turned to go, Aomine somehow stuttered out,  
"H-Hey kid?! Where's your parents?!"

The kid turned to him with a grin before proudly pointing ahead to a kinda-young coupe exiting a small shop not too far away. They looked happy. And the memories the vision brought hurt too much, were too much for his heart to handle. Still, he managed a small grin at the kid, and watched him trot off to his parents.

* * *

 

He still had Kises' number_ he knew that the blonde wouldn't have changed his number, and he could call him whenever. But he didn't. He didn't wanna put Kise through another hell: if he was suffering, it didn't mean he could make Kise suffer too. He had no right. No one did.

But that didn't mean he wasn't itching to know how the blonde was doing. Where he was… Was the idiot eating well? All sorts of questions kept him awake at night. He could always use his conections in the police department…but he immediately tried to get rid of the idea, no matter how tempting, for he couldn't stand Kise hating him more. Didn't wanna give him reason to hate him more.

He knew ignoring Tetsu now was wrong. That didn't make it easy to stop and just go to him again either.

He had made it as far as the entrance to his building in the past week a few times…only to turn on his heels after a minute of just standing there and sprinting home like his life was in danger.

Not wanting to feel any worse than the scum he did for everything with Kise, he turned on his phone, texted Tetsu an "i'm ok. just busy" before immediately shutting it off again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually thinking of rewriting this whole chapter, but I didn't wanna keep you guys waiting anymore  
> PLUS I wanted to show Aomine suffering coz boy can't be so heartless as to not feel even a little bad and HE DESERVES TO SUFFER FOR HURTING KISE BBY. I hope this satisfied everybody for the time being?  
> 


	10. To party or not? That is the question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine is the epitome of Aho.  
> Kagami has a decision to make.  
> Kise ...has under-dressed issues?

Ahomine ended up getting Kise investigated by a buddy afterall. That ganguro-idiot just couldn't resist temptation.

The buddy was an expert and said he'd need a week; and today, exactly a week later, he'd texted Aomine, asking him to come to their usual café for coffee and "business".

Chuckling at the guys' antics, Aomine exited the station as his shift ended, and made his way to his car. He drove off to the café, trying to keep his speed as low as possible so that he wouldn't arrive ahead of time and have to wait. He knew he'd blow off of anxiety and excitement if he'd have to wait any longer.

Standing outside the café, he took a moment to calm his racing heart. Cheking his watch, he saw that it was exactly 7pm. Pushing the glass-door open, he stepped inside, his senses immediately being attacked by the delicous smells of bread, coffee, cookies, various flavours of pastries and cake, and other goodies. Breathing in the soothing aroma, Aomine could feel himself relax considerably.

With renewed energy, he made his way to their usual booth, and let out a greateful breath on seeing the slightly older man sipping his precious iced-water as he waited for him.

Grinning, Aomine slapped the unsuspecting mans' shoulder gently in greeting before slipping-in opposite him while shaking the table (ON PURPOSE), making some of the guys' drink spill. While Aomine was busy snickering at his companions' horrified expression (as horrified of an expression as he'd make), Haruka wasn't too amused and ended up kicking Aomine's shin under the table, silently glaring at him.  
"Pfft- oww! Sorry man! But your face when the water spilled! BWAHAHAHA!"

"Shut up Aomine. You should be glad you didn't waste too much of the water. There's still a chance that I'll tell you where your ex-spouse is if you behave.", he said in his ever calm tone.

"…" an inhale.

"…Aomine?"

"Yea?...So um…hit me."

"… He's currently staying with a firefighter named Kagami Taiga." He paused, letting the words sink in.

Navy-blue eyes widen at the name mentioned, "And?!"

"… I got Rei to get all the details down for you here," replied Haru as he produced a manila folder and handed it to Aomine, "because I didn't want to have to tell you all the details again and again, Aho."

"…"

"…I'll tell you though: Kise is fine. And the observation showed that staying with Kagami is probably healthiest for Kise at the moment. He hasn't exactly been going through a field of flowers since you started fooling around with Kuroko" a disapproving glare, "and he might go into depression if he stays by himself and is left to ponder over those dark days." He'd spoken in a monotone though, carefully schooling his voice. But his eyes were hard and disapproving: scolding Aomine for his betrayal to his partner. But also saying that he would be there for Aomine "after all, what are big brothers for?"

* * *

 

Kagami had the late-afternoon shift today, so he decided to stay in bed for as long as possible. Kise tried his best not to disturb Kagami too; he scampeered about, in a too-large-for-him plain white shirt over black shorts.

Still a bit sleepy himself, Kise padded into the still-dozing Kagamis' room to collect jis laundry. Just as he was sneaking past the bed, Kagami groaned loudly in his sleep, maing Kise pause and loook over at him… which Kise obviously shouldn't have done, because ehe immediately felt this overwhelming urge to glomp the sleeping tiger.

Somehow managing to not squeal at the sight, AND not glomp Kagamicchi, Kise collected all the scattered clothes ( _Seriosuly! Bakagamicchi must be taught manners all over again!_ ) and rushed out of the room.

He collected his own clothes right after, and when his stomach growled loudly, he went red despite being the only one awake.

Quickly dumping both of their clothes into the washing machine and starting it, Kise hurried to get himself a quick breakfast and try to get his mind straight. But his hands were shaking due to his earlier thoughts and he ended up spilling milk all over himself during his inner turmoil. Cursing his luck, he cleaned up the mess and cut the breakfast short to a McVites Dark Chocolate cookie instead.

Finished with the cookie, he was gonna start dusting the living room when he realized that the boxer-shorts now stuck to his thighs were VERY annoying. Taking them off with a huff, he tossed them into the laundry basket and began dusting, almost without a care in the world.

* * *

 

He was so completely engrossed in the cleaning of the bathroom that it was only when a (manly)shriek escaped a certain red-head that he turned around to see a madly blushing Kagami with a hand on his face.

"Eh? Kagamicchi? What's wrong ~ssu?...And you're up earlier than I ex-"

"WHAT are you  **wearing** Kise?!"

"Gomen! I borrowed Kagamicchi's shirt coz I couldn't find any of mine and my shorts coz-"

"Shorts?! I can't see them! Baka! Don't wear invisible shorts!"

"Kagamicchi! I-!"

A little reddening of the face happens.

  
A little fidgeting involved.

  
A gulp here.

"BAKAGAMICCHI DON'T LOOK!" a screech is sounded as the model pulls the shirt lower to try and cover upto his knees and hide his (cute) underweared butt.

Kagami on the other hand just face-palmed and turned around abruptly, blushing all the while, and took deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

Kise, almost done with the cleaning, rushed out of the bathroom to let Kagami have his privacy, and to also put some decent bottom on.

Kagami got out of the bathroom to see Kise, with a slight blush still dusted across his cheeks (but now fully clothed –wink-), just standing in the kitchen doorway, gaze slightly downturned. He found Kises' tendency to be embarrassed about almost everything (even though they were no longer teens XD) amusing and endearing at the same time. Grinning, he walked over and put a hand on his head and ruffled the golden locks playfully, resulting in a small pout from the model as he tried to frantically reset his hair into perfection,

_You don't even need to **try** to perfect,  
coz you already are._

whilst moving aside and granting Kagami(-cchi) access to the kitchen.

* * *

 

"Yo Kagami!", a large hand lands with a hard pat on Kagami's shoulder, "When can we come over to your place for drinks man?

The redhead grinned apologetically at his friend and senior co-worker, and was going to reply, when the others who'd heard joined-in too:  
"Yeah Kagami! It's been a while since we all got together to drink and relax!"

"It's especially fun at your house man!"

"Let's go tonight, Kagami! We all deserve a break don't ya think?"

"We'll even clean up the mess the next day!"

Kagami grimaced at how excited they all were, because he didn't want to put them all down, but he had no choice, since Kise was now living with him for the time-being.

He didn't know if Kise would like the idea; plus, the guys got quite rowdy when drunk. And most of them not having girlfriends or boyfriends meant that their "brotherhood" turned into "loverhood" if they consumed too much.

So usually, they had 1 person, a volunteer amongst themselves, who'd make sure to drink no more than a couple shots so that he can prevent an orgy or any unintentional rape from happening.

Kagami knew that they'd all drink themselves nuts, and force him into gulping down drink after drink too, if they were to find out that Kise was staying at his place, saying that he could watch out and prevent any of that mess from happening.

Some time ago, he might've even agreed to the idea. Now though, he didn't like it too much; and he justified the negative feeling with the fact that Kise won't be able to hold his own for much against these burly men, let alone burly  **drunk** men!

Also, for some reason, he  _really_ didn't want Kise to find out about their "loverhood", even by accident. He'd been a part of it a couple times, but he didn't plan on repeating it because he'd realized that he preferred the brotherhood as the brotherhood only, and that "loverhood" wasn't what he wanted at all... He wanted love. True love. But since the mess with Kuroko, he didn't feel like pure love existed at all.

Besides...What would Kise  **think**?!

So he just looked at them apologetically and told them he couldn't attend because he had a really important guest over. However, he'd pay his share for them to go hang out at a bar of their choice tonight. There were still a few protests against his idea, but most of them understood and quietened the others down, telling them to "give the guy a break already guys".

* * *

He stood frozen in the open doorway, eyes wide and jaw slack, unable to utter a single word.

The richly tanned cop who he'd opened the door to, though, didn't look as surprised. He just stood there, patiently waiting for the blonde to get over the shock of seeing his very unexpected visitor.

When the model finally caught up with what was going on after a few minutes of blatant staring and constant blinking, he cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away, and mumbled,  
"Uuh... Hi...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm moving too fast D:  
> I'm sooo sorry if Haru is OOC! I did feel that I'd made him too animated for Haru. Waah! I suckkkkk D:  
> By the way, how did you like the guest star? ;)


	11. Sink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine asks to be let in.  
> Kise doesn't know what to do.  
> Kagami doesn't know what he's feeling.

**_"Uuh... Hi...?"_ **

 

He felt his fingers start to ache where his grip had tightened considerable on the door frame. Any harder and he would probably have splintered it. What kind of a curse was he under?! Was this actually happening?

 

After all that had happened, after all that man had put him through, what the hell was _he_ doing here?

 

"Yo, Ryouta. Will ya let me in?"

 

Uncertainty pushed the anger aside, temporary as it way, as Ryouta frantically glanced about behind the taller man, hoping the firefighter had decided to come home early today.

 

"Oi, Ryouta?" There was a hint of annoyance laced in the other's words this time, and if Ryouta was still not hurting over the past he would have scoffed at the audacity.

 

He was, however, still in pain and in shock over the happenings of the past few months. There was no denying he was not okay. That he was still not shaken.

 

It took him a moment to decide what to say- he didn't want to stammer and stutter in front of the other man again, but he gathered his courage. Perhaps it was seeing the main object of his agony standing there, mostly unaffected. Maybe it was hearing his voice, something that had once become a norm for him but now sounded so different. Just because it wasn’t _his_ anymore.

 

"I... don't think that's a good idea, Aomine." There was no apparent emotion in his voice, no anger, no enmity, and especially no fear. Having perfectly masked his voice so was a first for Ryouta. Everything carefully hidden away.

 

The hint of satisfaction brought by the stricken look on Daiki's face was enough for the blonde. For now.

 

"Why now?" Daiki was quick to recover and demand from the model. _Why, now, are you choosing to act pissed. Why, now, are you closing off._

 

Still not having opened the door any wider or shown any signs of moving aside to grant the other entrance, Ryouta shook his head looking almost sorry. Sorry for how he kept disappointing. First, by being unfaithful. And now this.

 

"You mean _besides_ the fact that Kagamicchi isn't home?" Ryouta asked with mock curiosity before quickly continuing, "Because I don't want to, Aomine."

 

The deepening of the permanent scowl on Daiki's face told him the man's patience was wearing thin. Not that Ryouta cared- no, not that he _wanted_ to care!

 

"And why do you care what he should think?” Daiki’s attempt at nonchalance wasn’t really working. Especially not when he scratched the back of his neck. “It’s not like he's your husband."

 

The last part had been almost muttered on Daiki's part, but their close proximity meant Ryouta heard him clearly.

 

Amber eyes narrowing in warning, the blonde responded through gritted teeth. "Well, neither are _you_."

 

He saw Daiki's eyes widen before they narrowed at him and his nostrils flared.

 

Deeming that as enough interaction for a month Ryouta began closing the door, only for Daiki to jam his foot in.

 

" _Fine_ ," the dark skinned man bit out. "Don't let me in! But at least talk to me."

 

Ryouta glared, annoyed, and barely managed to stop himself from uttering a few choice words to the other he knew would _sting_.

 

“Talk about _what_ , Aomine?” The blonde nearly yelled. “Why should I talk to you? There’s nothing _to_ talk about.”

 

Daiki opened his mouth to respond but with an angry shake of his head Ryouta shut him up. He didn’t know where all this anger was coming from! Related to the whole damn matter, Ryouta had been either too hurt or too silent.

 

He had assumed that if ever faced with Daiki again, he would be level headed and act civil; but now his body was reacting like this, trembling and getting an angry flush while his mouth ran off on its own and his brain sat happily disconnected, not caring to filter his anger ridden words. Perhaps this was good. Perhaps Daiki didn’t deserve to be heard so easily.

 

“What?” hissed the blonde when Daiki didn’t make a move to leave. “You still wanna be _friends_ after all you did?” Ryouta spat, sarcasm lacing his words.

 

Gulping, Daiki took a staggering step back. Sure, what Ryouta was saying wasn’t wrong. Perhaps even what he deserved to hear. It was the truth! Was that why it hurt so much?

 

Or was it because Ryouta was the person those words were being said by?

 

Instead of getting angry as well he tried to calm himself down, though that was no small feat with how his heart was pounding and his chest was getting tighter.

 

Licking his lips, he raised his arms in surrender and cut his gaze to the side, unable to meet the shorter man’s intense glare.

 

“I’m sorry, Ryouta,” Daiki’s voice was still his deep baritone, but sounded different with how quiet and subdued it became. “I just wanted to check up on you and I came without thinking. I shouldn’t have.”

 

There was silence from the blonde, the space only filled with their laboured breathing.

 

Ryouta didn’t stop him as Daiki turned to leave. He didn’t budge from his spot even as the taller man’s retreating form disappeared behind the elevator doors.

 

What felt like ages after, the door closed behind him with a resounding bang when Ryouta finally willed himself to retreat into the apartment.

 

Not feeling satisfied with said noise, he rushed to his room. Perhaps trashing it would help him against these overwhelming feelings of rage and hopelessness that were suffocating him. Perhaps breaking his things would bring him some peace of mind.

 

* * *

 

 

The guys having taken off to go bar hopping for the night immediately after their shift ended that evening left Taiga in a bit of a dampened mood. He didn't know why- it wasn't entirely because he didn't go with his buddies. He had a feeling he would have been sulking even if he had gone with them- that being the reason why he had been avoiding these outings ever since Tetsuya. Something was missing.

 

 

Taiga exited just as the last of the night shift party were entering the building, muttering about late busses and weepy children.

 

 

He didn't pay them much mind, choosing instead to avoid engaging in small talk so he could get home and get properly cleaned up soon.

 

 

Not before he bought some groceries, he was reminded of Ryouta's words before he'd left for work that day and headed towards the twenty four hours open store about a block over from his station.

 

 

Half an hour later he was entering his apartment, not having bothered to knock or ring the bell in case Ryouta was busy or taking a nap.

 

 

The place was eerily quiet, Taiga noticed as he fought the shudders and placed the bags on the kitchen counter. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t come home to a silent home before. But today there was something off in the quiet stillness.

 

 

Torn between checking up on Ryouta and waking him up if it seemed he had slept all day or putting away the shopping first, he finally settled on quickly putting the groceries away before doing the former. After all, Taiga thought to himself, he should probably give the man some space and not be so clingy as to go searching for him first thing after getting home.

 

 

The irony didn’t escape him that he had always chastised the blonde for being too clingy, and now here he was acting like an attention starved puppy himself.

 

 

_Pathetic. When did you become so pathetic? No wonder Tetsuya got tired of you._

 

 

Having put away the groceries, Taiga paced around their tiny apartment hoping to spend at least ten more minutes before checking if Ryouta even was in his room or not. Maybe he had gone out.

 

 

Taiga felt like pinching himself for being like that! After all, Ryouta having a day off didn’t mean he would have stayed cooped in the apartment and just lazed about.

 

 

Angry at his uncharacteristic over thinking, he managed to somewhat get over his nerves and found himself stood outside Ryouta’s door, knocking with a boldness he wasn’t feeling.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh! Look who finally updated after years. It's literally been years since I first posted this on FF.net.  
> Also... The previous chapters and a/n's are so cringeworthy! I think I'm gonna end up rewriting the whole thing at some point.  
> By the way, I cut the chapter here because it was getting too long. I like this length, though. I think the rest of the chapters will be of the same length.  
> Also! What am I doing with feelings?! This whole thing seems like clusterfuck. Especially this chapter! Goddd! I think I should get a Beta D: I don't think I managed to get the feel I wanted to.


	12. I'll Take Your Offer

A relieved sigh escaped him when no reply came a moment later.

 

 _See?_ The voice sounded almost disappointed despite the intended smugness. _You made a big deal outta nothing, stupid!_

 

He just turned to go to his room when he heard the door creak open. Quickly turning back around, he saw an amber eye peering warily from between the crack.

 

“Yeah, Kagamicchi?”

 

A frown came over his face at how rough Ryouta’s voice sounded.

 

“You okay, Kise?" The question slipped out before he could think of a better thing to say.  
Mentally kicking himself for being so tactless, Taiga quickly added, “I just put away the groceries and wanted to see if you were home but, uh, you sound sick. Catch a cold?”

 

It was weird to him how unusually quiet the blonde was being today, though he figured said behavior wasn’t that weird if the other was, indeed, unwell.

 

The hesitation his housemate showed in just opening the door any further struck him as odd. Was he perhaps _not_ sick? If he didn’t know better Taiga would have thought Ryouta was indecisive about coming out or letting him in.

 

 _Like trying to pick the lesser of two evils_ , the thought came unbidden, and Taiga shook his head sharply to get rid of it.

 

The pale pallor to Ryouta’s skin and swollen eyes gave him pause. Perhaps _that_ was the issue. Perhaps Ryouta wasn’t sure if he should talk to him or not.

 

 _Heh! Wouldn’t you like to think so?!_ He had to do something about that damn voice. It had been popping up all of a sudden at in convenient times.

 

“Er,” Taiga rubbed at the nape of his neck awkwardly, not sure where to rest his gaze after having met the bloodshot, red rimmed amber eyes.

 

“Y-You wanna talk about it, Kise?”

 

As his eyes filled up again, which the redhead assumed was more because of the meaning behind his words- the offer of loading off- than the words themselves, he saw Ryouta angrily wipe at his eyes.

 

“Didn’t know you were still friends with Aomine after everything that happened,” he croaked out in response, making Taiga wince at how scratchy his voice was. Must be painful.

 

That was until the words sank in a moment later and left him gaping. Why would Ryouta think that?! And this wasn’t the time to be indignantly spluttering, damn it!

 

The man in question had taken the opportunity in that moment to step out of his room and quickly closed the door behind him.

 

“Why- What makes you say that?” Taiga stepped back to allow Kise to exit his room and move past him.

 

All fight having left his body, Ryouta silently made his way past the taller man and headed straight for the kitchen. He was parched and since it seemed they would be talking about it after all, he would have to soothe his throat.

 

Taiga followed the shorter man into the kitchen, feeling an odd sort of dread filling in the pit of his stomach already. However, he chose to ignore it and instead, bravely, _or stupidly_ , sat opposite Ryouta at the kitchen table.

 

Ryouta ignored the expectant eyes on him and calmly finished his glass of water before refilling it.

 

“Aomine came by today,” he finally offered before taking another long sip.

 

When he didn’t get a response, he finally glanced up and immediately felt guilty for having phrased his words that way earlier- for having assumed Taiga had kept contact with Daiki and told him of Ryouta’s current whereabouts. What the hell had he been thinking?!

 

Teeth grit and jaw tight, Taiga waited a moment before attempting to speak, not sure even then that he would be able to keep his cool. Not entirely.

 

“Why?” The word came out as a croak despite him not having been the parched one of the two, and certainly not the one who had cried himself hoarse. Immediately he followed up with another question, voice much more firm this time. “Did you let him in?”

 

It struck him a moment after he had already spoken that the latter had been an unfair question. After all, the flat was currently the blonde’s home too. He had all the right to invite in whoever he wanted.

 

Ryouta didn’t seem fazed by the question though, almost seeming to have expected it even.

 

When he spoke, it was with a calm, steady voice.  
“He said that he had come to see how I was doing,” only the sarcastic roll of his amber eyes gave away the anger Ryouta felt. “And _no_ ,” he continued. “I refused to let him in.”

 

“And he just left? Just like that?” Too late, Taiga realized he should just cover his mouth. While he was grateful Ryouta hadn’t told him off yet for the continuous questions, he didn’t want to be doing it at all! Being over bearing and interrogating his friend was definitely not how he wanted to spend time. Ever!

 

At the glare he received, Taiga raised his arms quickly, palms held out disarmingly.

 

Ryouta hadn’t cried since he had moved in with him- not that Taiga knew of anyway. This was probably good for him in the long run; could probably be the key to helping him actually move on. Or so Taiga hoped.

 

Finished with the water in his glass, Ryouta pushed it away and sat back, eyes averted and lips pursed. Like he was trying to get his thoughts in order.

_Or trying to come up with some lie to get you off his case. Who needs you or your approval anyway?_

 

Taiga waited. Silent and watchful- traits that nobody would have used to describe him before. Not even Taiga himself.

 

After a deep intake of breath Ryouta cleared his throat. Was he nervous? Anxious? Maybe. Why exactly, he couldn’t understand.

 

“I got- I got angry at him, Kagamicchi.” At the twin eyebrow raise from him, Ryouta continued.  
“I mean-! I couldn’t exactly place it, but the moment I saw Aomine I just…”

 

Taiga wanted to speak. To somehow prompt the other to keep talking when he trailed off, but seeing Ryouta struggling he held himself back. Doing anything to encourage him right now would actually be counterproductive, he knew.

 

So he sat quietly, feeling just as helpless as his friend looked.

 

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Ryouta made a sound somewhere between a groan and a loud sigh. This was turning out to be harder than expected!

 

“Kagamicchi! When I saw him, all the hurt and anger and upset just-just bubbled out of me and I couldn’t- _I can’t_ understand why! Why _now_?”

 

Well, it seemed quite obvious. Taiga opened his mouth to tell him exactly what he thought but was cut off before he could even get a word out.

 

“I mean wasn’t that a little too late to react like that? To get angry?”

 

If anything was to come of this, then seeing Ryouta already starting to revert back to his usual self was a gift! Even if his whining seemed off because of his scratchy voice.

 

“W-Why are you smiling, bakaaa~! I’m telling you what’s upsetting me and you’re-! _Hey_ quit daydreaming~ ssu!”

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ryouta woke up to sunlight warming his face and immediately felt the stiffness in shoulders. His legs were all but asleep too. Damn it. He groaned softly as he shifted his legs so they were sprawled in front of him now rather than bunched up against him. Those pins and needles in his legs would surely kill him today!

 

The clatter beside him caused him to flinch violently and he quickly turned to the source. A small sigh escaped him when he saw the large plastic bowl, now empty, having landed at his side.

 

“What the-,” the statement broke off into a yawn and Ryouta quickly covered his mouth as he reacted too.

 

Groaning tiredly he pushed off the ground, feeling his back start to ache from having slept sitting against the couch, and picked up the fallen bowl as he stood.

 

Behind him Taiga was blinking blearily, one hand under his t-shirt and the other loosely wrapped around the ladle.

 

The damned ladle he used as a spoon! Who does that?

 

“Mornin’ Kagamicchi,” he mumbled and staggered his way to the bathroom.

 

After relieving himself and flushing, he was washing his hands when his gaze fell upon it. Sitting innocently on the countertop like it belonged there.

 

Sighing, Ryouta set to brushing his teeth. The damn bowl could be taken to the kitchen after he had showered!

 

 

* * *

Wrapped up in his fluffy, yellow bathrobe and hair dripping already cooling water, Ryouta exited the steam filled bathroom with the bowl in hand.

 

“Kagamicchi, shower’s free now,” he called as he entered the kitchen. He placed the bowl in the sink before making his way over to where the taller man was chopping vegetables.

 

Something made him want to give him a tight hug. Perhaps it was that sad look Taiga was wearing on his face?

 

What the hell was he thinking?! No hugging!

 

“Go get freshened up, Kagamicchi~! I’ll finish making breakfast.”

 

Taiga rolled his eyes and didn’t turn to face him as he replied, “Sure. If you wanna make breakfast in your bathrobe.”

 

Feeling the urge to fire back somehow, Ryouta aggressively stuck his tongue out.

 

It must have looked funny with his indignant frown because Taiga, having seen him out the corner of his eye, was now doubled over himself with laughter.

 

“I was trynna be considerate,” he shot back with no real heat to his words.

 

With impressive amount of effort Taiga reigned in his laughter and held a hand up, the gesture bringing immediately to Ryouta’s mind an image- a memory really- that seemed now to be from another life. The first time Ryouta had met Taiga, the redhead having done the same thing as he laughed with excitement at his loss. Some things were still the same, it seemed.

 

“I’ll take your offer,” Taiga was saying, already turning to walk out of the kitchen when Ryouta caught the last words and realized he had been smiling. Not like the goofy grin Taiga still hadn’t managed to wipe off, but rather a softer, smaller smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gaahhh! it's literally 3:35 am right now xD i'm sorry if there's crazy mistakes i missed in there!  
> also! i fucking haTE the summary! i think i'm gonna change it...  
> any suggestions?  
> alsooo! i'm emotionally stagnant so please give me ideas on how to make kagakise interactions seem...not forced??


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